Method and device for the production of adjusting shafts

ABSTRACT

Adjusting shafts ( 1;2 ) comprising a noise-insulating outer sleeve ( 1.3; 2.3 ) and shaft ends ( 1.1; 1.2; 2.1 ) that are free therefrom are produced in a brushing device by moving rotating brushes ( 4; 5 ) to an inserted shaft bar ( 3 ) which is provided in an uninterrupted manner with the outer sleeve and removing the outer sleeve in the area of the shaft ends in a brushing-off process. Advantageously, one respective continuous section (a; b) of the shaft ends of two adjusting shafts located one behind another is brushed off, whereupon the two shaft ends are separated from each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method and to equipment for makingadjustment shafts.

Adjustment shafts of the above kind are used in the form of a flexiblyemplaceable adjustment means, in particular to transmit torques betweena position transmitter that can be connected to one of the free shaftends and a position receiver which can be connected to the other freeshaft end; emplacement takes place for instance in cavities of motorvehicle parts. To abate noise between the moving adjustment shafts onone hand and the surrounding housing parts on the other hand, inparticular automobile sheetmetal parts, the actual metallic shafts arestrands and are enclosed by an acoustically damping external cladding,in particular textile flocks.

Such flock-coated adjustment shafts, having free ends, are manufacturedfrom lengths of shaft strands, fitted continuously with an externalcladding, by severing strand segments corresponding to the axial lengthdesired of a specific adjustment shaft and by ridding the shaft endsneeded for torque connection from the external cladding and shaping ofsaid shaft ends, if required.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is an easily handled simplemanufacture of adjustment shafts which are acoustically damped betweentheir free metallic ends by external cladding.

The method and the equipment of the present invention permit simple andreliable manufacture—which can be automated—and employ a continuousmetal shaft strand fitted with an external cladding. They make itpossible to brush clean each zone of the shaft end which must be keptrid from said external cladding in purposeful manner, assuring qualityof work. Appropriately, the zone to be kept cladding-free runs over twoadjoining shaft ends of two consecutive shafts-to-be that shall besevered from one another only after their junction has been brushedclean and that, if necessary, are fitted with a geometricallyinterlocking torque coupling shape.

Short working times with compact designs are attained in particular withtwo radially opposite brushes that act as rotating brushes on the shaftlength to be brushed clean and in that the brushes are tangentiallypivotable about the metal strand for the purpose of a progressiveelimination of the external cladding on it. This procedure isimplemented by an advantageous design whereby the rotating brushes arereceived in a support concentric with the strand and rotatable about it,in particular in a brush head.

The invention and further implementing/embodying modes of the dependentclaims are elucidated below by means of illustrative examples and inrelation to the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an axial section in elevation of equipment of the invention tomanufacture adjustment shafts of which the ends have been rid of theexternal cladding,

FIG. 2 is a section II-II of the equipment of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an adjustment shaft of which the external cladding has beenremoved at both shaft ends,

FIG. 4 is a continuous strand comprising two zones where the externalcladding has been removed and also shows brushes moved toward one ofthese zones,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of an end-face topview on the left end faceof the adjustment shaft of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged end-face view of the left end-face section of thestrand along line VI-VI of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The equipment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a first,right-hand axial guide 12 comprising position affixing means and, anaxial free space away, a second, left-hand axial guide 13 also fittedwith position fixing means for a shaft strand 3 (not shown here) of FIG.4 that can be fixed in a brushing position.

Two rotating and mutually faced braced brushes 4 and 5 are configured inthe clear space between the right-hand and left-hand position fixingmeans and can be moved radially toward the peripheral surfaces of theshaft strand. The brushes 4 and 5 are driven by the drive elements 4.2,5.2 of electric motors 8, 9, said drive elements being configuredradially parallel to the longitudinal axis predetermined by the guides12, 13.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the brushes 4, 5 arerespectively radially displaceable along radial guide rails 6.1, 6.1 bydrive units 4.3, 5.3. In a further embodiment of the present invention,the brushes 4, 5 may be moved radially toward the shaft strand, for thepurpose of removing the external cladding, a distance such that the tipsof the bristles 4.1, 5.1 of the brushes 4, 5 barely reach the peripheralsurface of the free shaft ends during operation, that is at maximumrotational speed.

Appropriately, only a support in the form of an oppositely locatedsupport roller is used when there is only a single rotating brush.

The total brushing apparatus inclusive the brush drive unit and brushadjustment means is received in a pivotably supported brush head 6configured concentrically with the axial guides 12, 13 and hence withthe shaft strand in a fixed housing 7. In one design of the presentinvention, the brush head 6 is pivotably supported relative to thehousing 7 so as to be driven externally from a drive unit 11 whereby,using only a minimum of flexible power and control lines, the entireexternal surface of the shaft strand can be rid of the external claddingin the region of the shaft ends to be bared.

In a further implementation of the present invention attaining highflexibility regarding different flocks by means of the external claddingor different lengths of the bare shaft ends, the brush head 6 is madeaxially displaceable and its seating is provided along axial guide rails10 in relation to the shaft strand to be received by the guide 12.

FIG. 3 is a side view and FIG. 5 is a front view of a finishedadjustment shaft 1 fitted with an external cladding 1.3 between the freeshaft ends 1.1 and 1.2 from which said cladding has been abraded by thebrushes. The finished shaft 1 was made from a shaft strand 3 that wasunwound from a supply roll, for instance, and that was continuouslycovered with an external cladding. This abrasion procedure is also shownschematically in FIGS. 4 and 6.

Rotating brushes 4, 5 are moved toward a fairly long shaft strand 3continuously fitted with an external cladding in a manner that the tipsof the brush bristles 4.1, 5.1 abrade the cladding down to theperipheral surface of the inner, stranded metallic shaft.Advantageously, the brushes 4, 5 are pivotable in a concentric andarcuate manner relative to the shaft strand so that the brushes 4, 5 canprocess the peripheral surface from all around them.

In a further design of the present invention, the brush head 6 and hencethe brushes 4, 5 are displaceable in such manner in the direction of theshaft strand that, regardless of brush width, arbitrary lengths of baredshaft ends can be made, for instance by merely shifting in a timedmanner the operational range of the brush system.

The left part of FIG. 4 shows a finished brush zone a, b advantageouslyconsisting of two consecutive shaft ends 1.2, 2.1 of an adjustment shaft1 and a consecutive adjustment shaft 2. The brush zone has a length zonea for the shaft end 1.2 of the adjustment shaft 1 and a length zone bfor the shaft end 2.1 of the adjustment shaft 2. By dividing theoriginally continuous brush zone a, b at the transition zone, theadjustment shaft 2 is separated from the shaft strength 3 and therebyfrom the adjustment shaft 1.

The essential concept of the present invention may be summarized asfollows:

To manufacture adjustment shafts 1, 2 fitted with a noise-abatingexternal cladding 1.3, 2.3 and shaft ends 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 bared from suchcladding, rotating brushes 4, 5 are moved within a brush unit toward aninserted shaft strand 3 which is continuously fitted with said claddingthat is then removed from the shaft end zones by being abraded by saidbrushes. Appropriately in each such procedure, one continuous zone a, bof the shaft ends of two consecutive and adjoining adjustment shafts isabraded clean by the said brushes, whereupon the two shaft ends aresevered from one another.

1. A method for manufacturing adjustment shafts (1; 2) comprising ametallic shaft and a noise-abating, non-metallic external cladding (1.3;2.3) situated between cladding-free shaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1), where,starting with a metallic shaft strand (3) continuously fitted with saidexternal cladding, said cladding is removed in the zone (a; b) of theshaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1) by at least one externally applicable brush(4 or 5).
 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, where the externalcladding (1.3; 2.3) is removed along the zone (a: b) of axiallycontinuous shaft ends (1.2; 2.1) of two consecutive adjustment shafts(1; 2) and thereupon the shaft strand (3) is severed in a transitionregion of the shaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1).
 3. The method as claimed inclaim 1, wherein at least one brush (4 or 5), in particular in the formof a motor-driven rotary brush, is approached radially.
 4. The method asclaimed in claim 3, wherein at least one externally and preferablyradially approachable brush (4 or 5) is pivoted tangentially about themetallic shaft strand (3) in the sense of a progressive peripheralremoval of the external cladding (1.3; 2.3) from said strand.
 5. Themethod as claimed in claim 1, wherein the brush (4 or 5) is approachedin a manner that the radial length of its bristles (4.1 or 5.1)operationally extends maximally as far as the peripheral surface of thebared shaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1).
 6. The method as claimed in claim 1,wherein the shaft strand (3) is fitted in the region of the baredshaft-ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1) with a geometrically interlocking torquetransmitting connector of which an outer contour deviates from thecircular form and in particular is square.
 7. Equipment with which tomanufacture adjustment shafts (1; 2) comprising a metallic shaft and anoise-abating non-metallic external cladding (1.3; 2.3) wherein betweenthe shaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1) the shaft is bared of said cladding, atleast one rotary brush (4 or 5) being provided which can be applied, inparticular radially, to a metallic shaft strand (3) continuously fittedwith the external cladding (1.3; 2.3) and which can be pivoted aboutsaid strand when being moved toward it in a manner that said cladding,having at least one rotary brush (4 or 5) which can be approached in theregion of the free shaft ends (1.1; 1.2; 2.1) by the rotary brush (4 or5).
 8. The equipment as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least tworotating brushes (4 or 5) are preferably configured at the periphery ofthe shaft strand (3) in a mutually opposite manner and are radiallyapproachable.
 9. The equipment as claimed in claim 7, wherein therotating brushes (4 or 5) are received in a support, in particular abrush head (6) configured to be rotatable about and concentric with theshaft strand (3).
 10. The equipment as claimed in claim 9, whereinshafts (4.2; 5.2) of the rotating brushes (4 or 5) are each parallel toand radially offset from an axis (6.1) of the brush head (6) and areaffixed in the brush head.
 11. The equipment as claimed in claim 9,wherein the brush head (6) is axially displaceable relative to the shaftstrand (3).
 12. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least onebrush (4 or 5), in particular in the form of a motor-driven rotarybrush, is approached radially.
 13. The equipment as claimed in claim 8,wherein the rotating brushes (4 or 5) are received in a support, inparticular a brush head (6) configured to be rotatable about andconcentric with the shaft strand (3).
 14. The equipment as claimed inclaim 10, wherein the brush head (6) is axially displaceable relative tothe shaft strand (3).